Aontú Cllr Emer Tóibín has welcomed Meath County Council’s agreement to carry out a full comparative audit of current traffic conditions in Navan following traffic direction changes in the town following sustained engagement and with the support of fellow councillors. Cllr Toibin says a full audit is absolutely essential towards determining if changes made to traffic flow in the busy town have had unintended consequences. She says local businesspeople have come to her outlining their disquiet over the current arrangements saying that they may result in part of the old town being ‘hollowed out’
She said, “Local businesses have been clear that the current arrangements are having unintended consequences. As one business owner put it to me, unless traffic flow is reviewed and adjusted, the old town centre risks being hollowed out, becoming a second-class commuter zone rather than a vibrant county town that the people in Meath can enjoy.
In December 2025, I submitted a motion calling on the Council to undertake a full assessment of the impact and effectiveness of the January 2024 traffic direction changes on Ludlow Street and Bridge Street, including the reversal of traffic flow at the southern end of Market Square, where only buses, taxis, and bicycles are now permitted to travel from Ludlow Street. I asked that the review should also include the rerouting of buses through the town centre, with all elements assessed against their impacts on congestion, pedestrian safety, commercial activity, and overall traffic flow.”
The Council came back to state that the scheme objectives of the Navan Town Centre Integrated Public Realm and Movement Plan (Navan 2030) have been achieved by the works delivered to date, including the provision of an enhanced environment for people living, working and visiting the town through public realm enhancement, enhancements to the accessibility of the town for all, provision of enhanced safety for all road users, greater connectivity in the town centre, and by providing improved access to and from public transport services.
The project objectives are aligned to National Policy and the policies and objectives in the County Development Plan. It went on to state that significant investment has upgraded pedestrian facilities in the town, including new signalised crossings on raised tables for better accessibility and traffic calming. Changes such as reversing traffic on Bridge Street and Ludlow Street and adding a bus gate on Market Square have improved bus access and increased public transport usage.
The Council’s Transportation Department is currently reviewing traffic movements as part of the Navan Area Based Transport Assessment (ABTA), which will address Active Travel, Public Transport, and road networks to support future growth. This assessment will inform upcoming Development Plans, which will undergo standard public consultation.
Citing her concerns that the response from the Council didn’t go far enough, Cllr Tóibín said, “An inhouse report is all well and good but I would have expected an evidence-based comparison audit, which is exactly what was missing. The original Council response asserted that the objectives of the Navan Town Centre Integrated Public Realm and Movement Plan had already been achieved. However, that position relied on internal assessments.
I am really happy with the fact that the council is now to carry out a thorough and comparative audit to measure congestion levels, pedestrian safety, commercial footfall, accessibility and overall traffic flow. The reality of pedestrians, motorists and businesspeople must trump internal Council policy objectives. I will continue to engage closely with traders, residents and commuters as this audit is carried out, and I will insist that its findings are acted upon in a practical and transparent way”.
